Wednesday’s Democratic Forum on Imperiled Methane Rule Features Former BLM Advisor, Public Health and Environment Experts

Washington, D.C. – This Wednesday’s House Natural Resources Committee Democratic forum on the Obama administration’s methane waste rule, which House Republicans are expected to vote to repeal this Friday, will feature a former senior policy advisor from the Bureau of Land Management – the agency that enforces the rule – alongside experts in public health and air quality, each of whom will speak to the serious damage repealing the rule will do to the American people, our economy and the environment. For a formal estimate of the rule’s benefits, read the Bureau of Land Management fact sheet at https://on.doi.gov/2jnSkKv.

Methane is a precursor for low-level ozone, and cutting down on methane leaks reduces the amount of volatile organic chemicals, including known carcinogens, that pollute our air. Allowing private firms to extract natural gas from public lands and to vent or burn excess gas into the atmosphere will make climate change worse and reduce the royalty the American people receive for the sale of public resources.

“This fight is about how much we let private industry waste our resources and pollute our planet in the name of making a quick extra buck,” Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said today. “Republicans are helping polluters hurt the rest of us and telling us we should thank them. The American people didn’t vote for this, they don’t support it and they won’t benefit from it.”

Wednesday’s forum, first announced last Friday, will include remarks from:

The event, which is open to media and the public, will include remarks from Grijalva and other Democratic members of Congress.

If implemented, the methane waste rule will save up to 41 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year, enough to supply up to 740,000 households; bring in up to $14 million in additional royalties to states and the federal treasury annually; and reduce methane pollution by 175,000 to 180,000 tons each year, equivalent to the emissions of nearly 1 million vehicles.